On November 13, 1986, however, tragedy struck: Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) leader Rolando Olalia and his driver Leonor Alay-ay were found dead in Antipolo, Rizaltheir bodies mutilated. No spam. Keep reading with one of these options: Premium Subscription P 80 per month (billed annually at P 960) Unlimited ad-free access to website articles The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, [1] [2] [3] [4] was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22-25, 1986. Despite the Presidents ouster, Dela Cruz believes that Marcos can still be remembered for his vision of nation-building for the country being more modernized and participatory in development. However, in September 1972, he declared martial law to hold on to his post as the most powerful person in the country. As reinforcements arrived, our teams gradually withdrew into the inner perimeters, until we ended up in the PC HQS building where Enrile and Ramos were, in joint operation with the Ministry of Defense Security Group led by then Col. Amihan shear line to bring cloudy skies and rain to Luzon, Visayas, SWERTRES RESULTS February 25, 2022 (Friday). Nothing has changed, only new breeds of corrupt people have emerged. Even Bongbong Marcos, according to Azcuna, has benefited from the democratic institutions, now that he is guaranteed regular and free election, although everything is really up to the people.. A decorated Marine soldier, who fought many battles in Mindanao, Tadiar came to a painful decision when he ordered his troops to stand down. I.Q. Your email address will not be published. The Facts: The EDSA People Power Revolution was the culmination of the decades-long authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos, whose family and allies are notorious for pilfering from the governments coffers, the World Bank, and International Monetary Funds and amassing billions in ill-gotten wealth while the Filipino people suffer from malnutrition and poverty. The crowd never ceased praying. The insurgency continued because the changes that they were expecting never happened, Parong said. Sotelo and his men were aboard Sikorsky and UH1-H Huey helicopter gunships circling above Camp Crame when they defected by landing their choppers in Camp Crame. For four days in February 35 years ago, the Filipinos were the heroes of the world Noel Alquiza, Metro Manila: My most vivid memory during that time was the call of the late Soc Rodrigo to the youth (I was 18 then) on TV appealing: Mga kabataan, panahon na upang mamatay para sa bayan. MANILA, Feb. 22 The peaceful People Power Revolution 30 years ago could have been bloody and thrown the country into chaos were it not for three ranking military officials who defied orders to crush the uprising that would result in the killing of not only rebel soldiers holed up in Camp Crame, but also countless of innocent civilians No less than Bayan chair, the late Sen. Lorenzo Taada, the grand old man of the Philippine opposition, went on leave from the alliance, which was trying to build a wide anti-dictatorship network, and decided to campaign for Mrs. Aquino. We essentially remain a divided country, with continuing corruption and human rights violations among other ills and problems, he explained. With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. Another act of heroism at EDSA 86 was shown by another Marine officer, then Col. Braulio Balbas, who was the commander of an artillery battery, who established his unit at the golf course of Camp Aguinaldo, just across Camp Crame. Sawyer Miller, an American public-relations and political-strategist firm that would be in the 1980s and 1990s the most expensive and most sought-after outfit in the world after EDSA 1, handled almost in its entirety Cory Aquino's public performance in the 1986 snap elections. There were already many protesters to his regime, including his greatest critic opposition leader Senator Benigno Ninoy Aquino Jr. But his actions of delaying the order to fire saved a lot of lives that day. History is sweet science. No suspect was charged in court. He will position his 05-millimeter howitzers on a golf course and aim them at Camp Crame, with the protesters in the line of fire. authentic people power. South Koreans remained the countrys top tourists as the Department of Tourism welcomed one of four batches in Cebu on Friday. The Philippines was praised worldwide in 1986, when the so-called bloodless revolution erupted, called EDSA People Power's Revolution. NOW retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolf Azcuna asserts that the gains at Edsa need not be taken for granted. It was already like a picnic. Pompeyo Pedroche, Metro Manila: Edsa 1 showed me a sea of humanity that proved that flowers are more persuasive than tanks. This was the only time Filipinos became united. It was a . The rest is history. Whereas propagandists presented him as a victimized martyr who refused to do harm to his fellow men. But, since 2016, the anniversary continues to be declared as a Special Non-Working Holiday.. Still, we maintained our vigilance since you really dont know what will happen later, she said. The expected blitzkrieg assault on the rebel soldiers never took place as the Marines found themselves in a light brotherly embrace with the civilians who blocked their path and the troops returned to their barracks. I was part of the revolution from day one until Marcos fled the country and witnessed the symbolic jump of Fidel Ramos at Edsa. Cardinal Jaime Sin, the then Archbishop of Manila, called upon Filipinos to support the . The 1983 assassination of former Senator Ninoy Aquino served as the catalyst that propelled people to fight for the restoration of national freedom. By then, the 11th President of the Philippines, Cory Aquino, took office in Malacanang Palace. No bloodshed Dr. Jose Balcanao, Benguet: During Edsa 1986, groups of harmless civilians and nuns went to Edsa and made sacrifices by blocking armored vehicles and tanks from attacking. Anne Marie de Chavez, Las Pias City: I have very vivid memories of Edsa 1986 because my companions and I had to sit in the first row in front of the tanks. All of them and the rest of the standard bearersErnesto Abella, Norberto Gonzales, Faisal Mangondatu and Jose Montemayorpromise to fight corruption. When Balbas finally got an order to fire, he made an alibi that he was still positioning the howitzers. The notion that history is written by the victors is both lazy and stupid. May mga libreng bus sa inyong lugar (I was in my sisters house at Mayamot, Antipolo then) na maghahatid sa inyo sa Edsa. It really challenged and gave me courage to be there and join the human barricades in Camps Crame and Aguinaldo. Why we fact-checked this: Cesar Montano is a long-time actor who will star in the upcoming film Maid in Malacaang, which will be screened nationwide this August. She writes for all sorts of topic to provide the right information and to keep the readers updated with the trends. In 1965, Marcos Sr. was elected president of the Philippines. After their defection, Cardinal Sin once again called upon the people to shield them. The Philippine Revolution of 1986 that deposed Marcos lasted seventy-five hours, from Saturday the 22nd of February to the following Tuesday. He was overpowered by an officer deliberately delaying actions to fire, the United States Government, and the Catholic Church. JPE [Enrile] is really a pure pragmatist. There are no comments yet. He dispatched tanks and armored vehicles to Camp Aguinaldo to end the uprising. Pag yan ay inalis o ginawang ineffective, mag-ingat tayo at mawawala yung tunay na demokrasya natin [if we remove or make those ineffective, we should be wary as we will lose genuine democracy], said Azcuna. Views expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The STAR. That Charter affirmed that public service is a public trust and that public officials must at all times be accountable to the people., Azcuna underscored the need to be vigilant 36 years after Edsa, noting the possibility that we can lose it [democracy].. He punctuated his statement with admiration for the dictator. While Marcos was being sworn into office by then Chief Justice Ramon C. Aquino, a few minutes before noon of the same day, the televised coverage of the event was abruptly interrupted. Nonetheless, Parong said Edsa remains relevant, not just because it continued to inspire nonviolent regime change, as seen in East Germany and many other former Soviet bloc countries at the end of the Cold War era in 1989. As the Ministry of National Defense (MND) information service chief, he was the only civilian in that hurriedly organized meeting on February 22, 1986, when then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Gen. Fidel Ramos, then chief of the Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police (PC-INP), declared they were withdrawing support from then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. I had mixed emotions then. There were documents citing the Catholic Church under the influential Cardinal Sin for making Marcos behave. Unlike the so-called Edsa Dos in 2001, which was suspected of conspiracy and resulted in the illegitimate transfer of the presidency, the 1986 events served as inspiration to other countries. In reality, the President Marcos was neither innocent nor a victim. With the restoration of democratic institutions lost during martial law, including regular elections, the people can now choose the leaders that they want, he stressed. And his influence helped rally the people to EDSA to stage a revolt and to protect the detractors from the Marcos regime. Source: /hrvvmemcom.gov.ph. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Violence must be avoided at all cost, and money matters to Marcos. This section will answer common questions related to the meaning of this momentous occasion. Indeed, it reeks of pure ignorance, but somehow people actually believed that. Copyright 2023. He was also hardly surprised that Enrile and Honasan have since mended ties with the Marcoses, throwing their support behind the strongmans son, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., in his bid this May 9 to regain the presidency his father lost. This site uses cookies. This year, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signedProclamation No. Jim Veneracion, Naga City: My vivid memories of Edsa 86 were the agonizing three days before Marcos was driven out of Malacaan. Upon hesitation, he reported that the positioning of the artilleries was still ongoing, hence no shots were fired. Charlie Magne Decena, 26, a call center agent, said that since the 1986 People Power Revolution which has always been commemorated for years as the event that restored the freedom of Filipinos, it should remain as a day remembered by all. When we arrived, the situation was already very tense - the Marines got their orders to attack Camp Aguinaldo and Crame. There are truths that could change the world if being told by the side of the losing team. Marcos refused to grant the order and told Gen. Ver he didnt want bloodshed. FORMER Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, who steered the Philippines in securing a landmark maritime legal victory in the South China Sea, has passed away. February 25, 1986 marked a significant national event that has been engraved in the hearts and minds of every Filipino. The millions at EDSA gave expression to a new found lakus ng bayan, the power of the Filipino people. Thats what democracy means. The influence of the Catholic Church also played a role in taming Marcos. No sight was so touching and the memory lingered on for many months later. We survived the three-day vigil. Finally, Edsa became a symbol of a peaceful and non-bloody revolution. Nevertheless, like many of the stories made in favor of Marcos, there are lies behind the claims. The Land Transportation Office has scrapped periodic medical examination as a requirement for holders of drivers license with five to ten years validity. There were many key highlights during the EDSA People Power in 1986. History is written by the historians, not the victors, through careful studies, research, record keepings, explorations and investigations. At the height of the Edsa revolution, Dela Cruz claimed that the majority in the armed forces actually remained loyal to the President until the last minute.. A coup had been planned to oust Marcos but this was pre-empted by a discovery of the plot, which turned into a Defend-the-Alamo type defensive operation at Camp Crame made successful by unprecedented people power, the Filipino nations gift to democratic advocates across the world. Their vigil, she recalled, had included parents and their children, along with people who never really had any political involvement. The revolution of the people, General Ramos called it, after what began as a military uprising drew civilians pledged to protect the rebel soldiers. That the participants of the bloodless revolution were mobs and savages as the pious Marcos tolerated them. But they were short-lived. Miguelito Herrera, Cabanatuan City: I was in fourth year high school when the historic Edsa People Power broke out on February 25. Now, do we want to go back to the past because it is the future that some of our people want? MANILA, Feb. 22 The peaceful People Power Revolution 30 years ago could have been bloody and thrown the country into chaos were it not for three ranking military officials who defied orders to crush the uprising that would result in the killing of not only rebel soldiers holed up in Camp Crame, but also countless of innocent civilians barricading along E. Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City. The claims being circulated simply lacked context. al. We slept and ate there for three consecutive days through donations from people whom we did not even know. (PNA photo by Gil Calinga) MANILA The 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution symbolizes the willingness of the Filipinos to stand together to fight for freedom and democracy, Defense . Nene Pimentel's one true legacy. The snowballing protest movement was also compounded by the global economic crisis, its headwinds lashing the Philippine economy which contracted by 7.3 percent for two consecutive years starting 1984. On September 19, 1987, Lean Alejandro was on his way to the Bayan office in Quezon City when a van cut into the path of his vehicle; a gunman rolled down the drivers window and fatally shot him in the back and face with a single bullet. On the third day, my wife and her friends joined the protest, walking beside the military tanks, praying the rosary and giving flowers to the soldiers on top of the tanks. Its very hard to awaken any political ideals.. Portraying the dictator and his family in a sympathetic light contributes to the Marcos disinformation propaganda machinery, humanizing and normalizing their bogus narratives to further rehabilitate the Marcos name. Required fields are marked *. WE have romanticized the Philippine Revolution of 1986, also known as EDSA People Power Revolution so much that perhaps we got from it the wrong lesson. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcemets. Despite what critics say, it can't be denied that the event is one of the defining moments of the country's recent history. Calata, Paraaque City: To me, the most vivid memories of Edsa 1 were: 1) ordinary people confronting soldiers with flowers or rosaries; 2) some religious nuns unmoved in front of an advancing tank that stopped on its tracks; 3) the voice of Jun Keithley in an unknown safe place then monitoring troops movements near Malacaan; 4) the live telecast showing FM ordering Gen. Ver not to do what the latter was asking permission for: the bombardment of both Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo where many would have died and been maimed. You may also email your views to: [emailprotected]. But we let that chance pass us by. Ed Gulmatico, Abu Dhabi: It was seeing and witnessing hordes of Filipinos from almost all classes, regardless of status in life and religious beliefs, united in prayer and standing with the objective of removing a despotic leader and dictator. Some of them had left their children at home. I remember protesters who befriended soldiers that were loyal to the late Pres. Meanwhile, crowds had just been drawn to Edsa, outside Camps Aguinaldo and Crame, by a call from influential Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, as droves of officers, lawmakers and high-profile government officials started abandoning the Marcos camp after his pyrrhic victory. The Edsa 1986 People Power Revolution was an inspiring episode in our struggle against tyranny, which was replicated in so many other countries in the world. The Facts: The EDSA People Power Revolution was the culmination of the decades-long authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos, whose family and allies are notorious for pilfering from the. People kept coming with food and drinks as we shouted victory during the Tora-Tora bombing and the White Plains attack. Remained the countrys top tourists as the Department of Tourism welcomed one of batches! 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